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Eastonian Federation
"Eastonia" redirects here. For the Eastonian state with the same name, see Eastonia (state). The Eastonian Federation '(Eastonian: ''Eastoniska federationen; Panzerian: Eastonisce Cynewise), commonly known as '''Eastonia, is a federal republic composed of four constituent states with territories spread over all of New Iotania's four continents, sharing land borders with Catvia, Gryphonia, Jamestown, Panzeria, Reuselerria and Vizaria. Eastonia is the most populous country in New Iotania, with a population of 21,900, aswell as the most densely populated with 46.97 inhabitants per 1000 blocks. At 466,276 blocks, it is the third largest country in New Iotania by area. Eastonia proper on Terra Gurrana was first settled by Iotanian colonists from New Gurrinea fleeing Old Iotania after the events leading up to the Abandonment, and was established as an independent republic early on while retaining close ties to other Iotanian colonies. Since then it has expanded beyond Terra Gurrana, establishing colonies of its own in the Great Iceland, the Kylling Islands, Westonia and President Kola Land in the east. On the international stage Eastonia is a major world economy, one of the largest in New Iotania by nominal GDP, and a hub for intercontinental trade and transportation. It is also a leading diplomatic power, often acting as an intermediary in international talks through its unique position as host country for the United Nations aswell as embassies of most sovereign states. Etymology The name Eastonia is of Imperian-Panzerian origin and means roughly "land of the easterners", which refers to its location east of the Westerland continent. Old Panzerian maps show a widespread usage of the name Eastonia for the entire island of Terra Gurrana, which has since fallen out of use. In the Eastonian language, the strong influence of the Iotanian language has established Eastonien as the official translation of Eastonia. In the early days however, the more prevalent name was Östland, from Old Eastonian Austland, which means "eastern land". History Iotanian settlers from New Gurrinea discovered Terra Gurrana during the first wave of colonization, establishing a trading post at Kaupmannavik as their new base. While the colonists in Angstein supported the rule of the Imperian monarch, the traders of Kaupmannavik did not and soon declared themselves independent as the Republic of Eastonia. This initiated a brief conflict with the Catvian peoples of northern Terra Gurrana but an agreement to share the island was reached without bloodshed and the agreed upon border remains in effect today. Written sources from this time describe a governing triumvirate who are celebrated as founders of the republic: Gaylord Gurra, whose descendants are active in Eastonian politics to this day; Sigrun Vanadisdotter, leader of the Merchants' Guild in Kaupmannavik; and Gustavus von Angstein, heir of an Imperian noble family, who served as the colonial Governor of Terra Gurrana and continued to serve the republic upon independence. He is said to have relinquished his titles out of a belief in democracy and equality but most historians argue that it's more likely his choice to side with the Eastonian republicans lead the Imperian crown to disinherit him. The early republic was centered around Kaupmannavik but as the population grew, the Upper Eastonia valley was settled for new housing and farming. While the mountainous climate of Terra Gurrana did not lend itself well to growing crops like wheat, pig husbandry became a successful endeavour and was for a long time Eastonia's main industry. The Upper Eastonia valley grew in importance as a hub for the emerging railroad network connecting the area to Imperia and the Catvian mines on the east coast. A new town centre spread out around the central train station which by the 20s was known as Eastonia City and had become the seat of Eastonia's parliament. On the world stage, Eastonia became an increasingly relevant power as it invited other states to open embassies in Eastonia City's new Diplomatic Quarter. The new capital's importance as an international transport hub increased even further when the intercontinental hyperloop to Reuselerria opened. The idea of establishing an Eastonian base in the Great Iceland became a hot topic in domestic politics during the 30s. Many believed it would be a waste of tax-payer money to even attempt settling such a remote area and that there was little to no gain from doing so. Despite this, the government went ahead with its plans and claimed the island of New North Eastonia for a polar settlement. A first expedition to the north established a base camp at Sigrunshamn, but the project was soon deprioritized as its proponents lost enthusiasm for permanently settling the icelands and only a small group of researchers stayed behind. New North Eastonia gained some attention when the leather industry opened up a venture for taming Icelandic cows but it remained an outlying territory of little importance for centuries to come. In 45 CE, tensions with Panzeria over the contested Kylling Islands nearly escalated to an all-out war between the two nations after a move made by Austramot to annex the islands following the death of Eastonian nationals in the archipelago at the hands of creeper terrorists. This matter was settled when Panzeria agreed to cede their claims to the Lesser Kylling Islands in exchange for Eastonia recognizing Panzerian sovereignty over Store Kylling, now known as Hope Island, aswell as agreeing to the establishment of a wildlife preservation on Lille Kylling to protect the native chicken population. Around the same time, an Eastonian expedition to the west established the colony of Westonia. This was for a while nothing more than a minor outpost on Westonia Island but an influx of immigrants from Eastonia and the free city of Dalheim to the immediate north kickstarted a building boom and soon the main settlement Västerköping had become a city in its own right. At the time, Eastonia was a unitary state and the Westonian populace became increasingly discontent with the fact that they were governed directly from Eastonia City nearly a thousand blocks away. This gave rise to a popular pro-autonomy movement which eventually lead to federalization, elevating Westonia to the status of a free state on equal footing with the Republic of Eastonia within the framework of an Eastonian Federation in 53 CE. The Westonian mining industry experienced a boom by the end of the 50s, which skyrocketed the Eastonian economy into one of major world importance and shifted the focus of Eastonian industry from iron to diamond-grade tools and weapons. The prospects of new riches attracted a new wave of migration to Westonia, encouraging the growth of Västerköping and also leading to the founding of Dödsträsk at the mouth of the Westonia River in the Swamp of Actual Death. When the Great Southern Road to Seri Agara opened in the 70s, the region became a link between Westerland and Southland. The free city of Dalheim, which had remained independent but had close ties to the Eastonian Federation, was later integrated into the Westonian state in the early 2nd century following the results of a referendum approving closer integration. Westonia expanded further in 121 CE as a result of Panzerian land cessions. In the 80s, Eastonia brought together the other eight major powers of New Iotania to form the United Nations as a means to promote peace between nations. A new headquarters for this intergovernmental organization was built in Eastonia City which bosted the capital region's status as a centre for international diplomacy. The Eastonian Federation later hosted a celebration at the UN skyscraper to mark the beginning of the 2nd century. Eastonia supported the Traditionalist faction in the early stages of the Panzerian Civil War, but moved towards a position of ambiguous neutrality as the conflict progressed. A third state, Oceania, was admitted to the federation during this time after Hope Island had declared independence from Panzeria and later pursued unification with Eastonia. Eastonia experienced an economic upswing in the early 140s as the result of a building boom in the capital region, but this was soon followed by a downturn after a disastrous hyperloop accident in which former President C. K. Gurra died and a shipment of diamond-grade goods valued at roughly 90,000 E$ (~5% of GDP at the time) was destroyed. It wasn't until the 150s that Eastonia recovered fully from this recession when the growing fishing industry jump-started the economy. A decade later, Eastonian GDP passed the 2 million E$ mark, becoming the third economy in New Iotania to do so. In the late 2nd century, Eastonia entered a period of relative stability and steady economic growth. A new city, Zeresterport, was founded in Westonia to function as the state capital and an extension of the Westerland monorail ensured a direct connection to Eastonia City. New mining operations in New North Eastonia lead to another economic boom and in 198 CE, the Eastonian Federation had surpassed Reuselerria and become the world's wealthiest nation. In 200 CE, a new state was admitted when the southern regions of Westonia split from the state to form South Westonia. A military base was established in New North Eastonia in 225 CE to protect the Iceland colony from Dark Templar incursions and creeper terrorists. In the late 230s, elytra technology was purchased from Seri End traders and the northern base was expanded with new facilities to accommodate the Eastonian Air Force. In 248 CE, an Eastonian elytra pilot completed the world's first journey entirely through the overworld to Aurum by air. Government and politics Eastonia is a federal democratic republic, operating under a presidential system of government with three independent branches of government. The executive branch consists of the President, who is the federal head of state and head of government, and their cabinet. The President is elected directly by the people to three-year terms, with no term limits. Coalition cabinets are a common occurence to ensure a majority in parliament to support the government's legislative agenda. The bicameral parliament of Eastonia constitutes the legislative branch of the federal government, and its lower house Austramot is the oldest legislative assembly in New Iotania. Austramot has 55 seats which are allocated proportionally to the four states according to their population, where voters elect its members from party lists every three years. Following a general election, Austramot elects one of its members as Speaker to preside over the chamber. The Speaker doesn't vote on legislation unless a tie occurs, in which case they cast the deciding vote. The Eastonian Senate was established as an upper house of parliament in 221 CE. It has a total of 12 members, three from each state, who are elected directly by the people every three years. They cannot introduce legislation of their own but federal spending bills and constitutional amendments passed by Austramot must also pass the Senate before becoming law. The Vice President of Eastonia sits as President of the Senate and can cast a tie-breaking vote much like the Speaker of the House. The judicial branch consists of the Eastonian courts and its highest instance is the Supreme Court, headquartered in the Blåkulla Courthouse. Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the President and their appointments confirmed by the Senate. Foreign relations Under the auspices of Peace and Love, the Eastonian Federation maintains close relations with the majority of sovereign nations in the known world and Eastonia City hosts multiple foreign embassies aswell as the headquarters of the United Nations. Political parties For an overview of electoral results, see Elections in Eastonia. Eastonia has a strong parliamentary tradition with many active political parties. Several parties, major and minor, have existed throughout the years but currently seven are represented in the federal parliament as can be seen in the diagrams to the right. Alliance for Peace and Love The Alliance for Peace and Love (APL) is Eastonia's oldest party. Their platform is built on Peace and Love philosophy as a guiding ideology, and the party seeks to establish and maintain an egalitarian society in line with these ideals. The party wants to nationalize key resource extraction industries for more democratic oversight of the economy, and recently they have also begun working towards a goal of making Eastonia a TNT-free state and eventually negotiate TNT non-proliferation in all of New Iotania. Their leader is President Akzelius Gurra and other prominent members of the party include Speaker of Austramot Alma Gren and the Governor of Westonia Absalom Nollayhdeksän-Löök. Dalheim Cartographers' Union The Dalheim Cartographers' Union (DCU) was a Dalheim-centric party that existed even before the city joined the Westonian state. Their focus was mainly on local issues, especially those concerning the paper trade which is a major source of income in Dalheim. The party had a close relationship with the APL with whom their political wing eventually merged to become a local chapter of instead. Eastonian Democratic Party The Eastonian Democratic Party (EDP) is a broad front of Eastonian politicians seeking an alternative path to that presented by the Alliance for Peace and Love. While historically a more isolationist party, the EDP has come to stand for free trade and believe traditional Peace and Love ideology is not compatible with the true spirit of Peace and Love, claiming APL policies of more government oversight in the economy sits wrong with the sanctity of individual freedoms. Prominent Eastonian Democrats include Senator Johanna Kå and the Governor of Eastonia Chad Kola. Federalist Party The Federalist Party (FP) came to be as part of the Westonian autonomy movement and has been an active voice in politics ever since, advocating for further delegation of powers to the individual states and a more equal distribution of federal funding. The party also stands out as a proponent of reforming the executive by introducing a parliamentary form of government as opposed to the current presidential system. Senator Mona Cheval and former Westonian governor Johan Elias Buske are members of the Federalist Party. Panzerian Unionist Party The Panzerian Unionist Party (PUP) is a defunct party. It was largely secessionist in nature, seeking the exit of Hope Island and Zerestia from the Eastonian Federation to rejoin Panzeria. The party dissolved itself after a majority of members had left for the breakaway Radical Unionist Party, and their leader Inga Nöjd retired and moved to Panzeria. Radical Unionist Party The Radical Unionist Party (RUP) broke away from the Panzerian Unionist Party in the late 150s over a disagreement on what goals the unionist cause should pursue. Unlike the PUP, they do not believe Hope Island and Zerestia should completely cut ties with Eastonia and instead their agenda is the formation of a full political union between Eastonia and Panzeria as one federal democratic state. While they have often worked with Unionist Alternative at both the state and federal level, their long-term goals are different as the RUP is not pursuing a greater internationalist agenda. Their leader is Arion Vattuman, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Gurra cabinet. Social Justice Party The Social Justice Party (SJP) was formed by an activist group from Kaupmannavik to protect the rights of religious minorities. The party is also very passionate about expanding traditional railroad systems as a safer means of transportation than for example hyperloop and elytra. Their leader is Austramot representative Ninja Cow and other prominent members include the Governor of South Westonia Robert Canto. The SJP is a centrist party and has been known to work with both the Alliance for Peace and Love and the Eastonian Democrats. South Westonian Bloc The South Westonian Bloc (SWB) is a regionalist party in the state of South Westonia seeking a higher degree of autonomy and more investment in infrastructure and rural development. They were a driving force for the 'Yes' campaign in the South Westonian statehood referendum held in 200 CE. Unionist Alternative Unionist Alternative (UA) was registered in 210 CE by Delfine Paanz who left her old party, the Alliance for Peace and Love, over concerns that the APL's foreign policy agenda was too timid at the time and too focused on building Peace and Love in one country. Initially their focus was mainly on political unification with Panzeria as a step towards an international peace and love revolution, but since the Commoners' Revolution in Reuselerria they have also been looking east to build stronger relations with egalitarian movements around the world. Since the elections of 267 CE, Delfine Paanz has been the Vice President in an APL-lead cabinet and lately the party has been working towards the integration of smaller neighboring states such as Catvia and Cape Terra into the Eastonian Federation. Westonian Independence Party The Westonian Independence Party (WIP) was formed by former EDP presidential candidate Guillaume Reus who left his old party after he lost the 249 CE primary elections, claiming they were rigged against him. The party advocates for Westonia to leave the Eastonian Federation and supports stricter border controls and protectionist trade policies. Administrative divisions The Eastonian Federation comprises four states, each governed by its own state constitution. The state governments are structured in a similar fashion to the federal government with a Governor as the head executive and a state legislature. The states vary greatly in size and population, with South Westonia covering over 50% of the total area while nearly 40% of the total population lives in the state of Eastonia. Constituent states Demographics The latest Eastonian census puts the total resident population at 21,900 inhabitants, the highest of any country in New Iotania. Eastonia also has the world's highest population density at 46.97 inhabitants per 1000 blocks, but this is subject to great local variation between different states and municipalities with Eastonia proper being significantly more densely populated than South Westonia for example. 80% of the population lives in an urban area. Ethnic groups The Eastonian Federation is a multicultural nation but nearly 80% of the population identify as ethnic Eastonians, with roots dating back to the first Iotanian settlers on Terra Gurrana who were mostly of New Gurrinean origin. Native Westonians are the largest minority group, descendants of Homo Villagius who lived in the Westonian region and neighboring areas long before recorded history. They are a diverse group of people spread over vast swathes of territory but share many common cultural traits and were historically speakers of the Proto-Iotanian Villagerian language that is still spoken in Qamomilla and the free cities further west. Panzerians are another prominent ethnic minority, with the Panzerian-majority city of Hoppenhavn on Hope Island and descendants of refugees from the civil war era who remained in Eastonia and Westonia. The Seri community in Eastonia is smaller but well established, while other minor ethnic groups include Imperians, Gryphonians and Eastern Islanders. Languages The three official languages of Eastonia are Eastonian, Iotanian and Panzerian. Eastonian is the traditional language of the Eastonian people and is closely related to the Vizar tongue, which is to some degree mutually intelligible for Eastonian speakers, something that points to a common Old Iotanian ancestor. The Iotanian language, a global lingua franca descending from Old Panzerian with major Imperian and Elerrian influences, is however the primary national language in modern-day Eastonia and the first language for a slight majority of the population. Modern Panzerian is the native language of most Hope Islanders and was given official status in 135 CE. Religion Freedom of religion is a guaranteed right in the Eastonian constitution and although a majority of Eastonians consider themselves atheists or irreligious, many different faiths are practiced in the country. Largest of these is Peace and Love worship, which is the spiritual aspect of Peace and Love philosophy. This is not an organized religion in the traditional sense but common tenets are a focus on meditation and balance in life to achieve inner peace and reach a state of enlightenment. Interfaith dialogue is also an important aspect, and it is highly debated whether Peace and Love is truly a religion in its own right or merely a philosophical tradition. The Temple of Peace and Love in South Westonia is an important spiritual center for this kind of worship. Other religions with a significant following in Eastonia include Ngoiism, mostly practiced by Southern immigrants, Panzerian folk religion and Zerestianism, which is a syncretic faith of Reuselerrian Gynepaganism and Peace and Love worship that puts high value on a life of asceticism and isolation from temptation as the path to enlightenment. They consider the two seemingly extremely different faiths to be merely two aspects of the same religion which is shown in the motto of the Zerestian Order, a monastic order based in northern Westonia: "Peace is Strength, Love is Unity, Our Faith is One." Saberism is a religious tradition carried over from Old Iotania which has a small but pious following concentrated to a few households in the city of Kaupmannavik. Notable practictioners of the faith include Vice President Ninja Cow. Economy Eastonia is one of New Iotania's largest economies by nominal GDP, and also one of the most developed in the region. It ranks lower in GDP per capita with values around those of the world average, but living standards are nonetheless relatively high for the general population due to a more equal distribution of wealth compared to other top economies such as Reuselerria and the White City. Mining constitutes the base of the Eastonian resource economy, owing to its ore-rich mountainous terrain, while agricultural products are often imported from Panzeria. This reliance on food imports has however to some degree lessened in recent centuries due to increased food production in Westonia. Overall, the Eastonian economy has a heavy emphasis on foreign trade and many transcontinental shipping routes go through Eastonia's ports or hyperloop system. In the 150s, the fishing industry emerged as a major contributor to the Eastonian economy, and its growth is seen as the most significant factor in ending the hyperloop crash recession of the 140s. State control of the economy is high, with many regulations and taxes in places to ensure a redistribution of wealth and high quality of life for citizens as well as a safe and democratic work environment. Sectors such as welfare, transport and infrastructure are handled exclusively by the state, and the Eastonian government controls the nation's share of the intercontinental hyperloop and other international transport systems through the Department of Infrastructure. Industrial sectors such as mining and agriculture have traditionally been dominated by private corporations, most prominently Eastonian Industries which has been described as a "conglomerate of conglomerates" with its multitude of subsidiaries involved in everything from tools manufacturing to tourism. A large part of the mining sector was however nationalized in 250 CE as part of President Gurra's plan to ensure democratic control of natural resources, with mining operations in South Westonia and New North Eastonia now being government owned. Transport Eastonia has a diverse and well-developed system of transport infrastructure, including hyperloop, rail and road networks. The central location of Eastonia proper in the New Iotanian region has made it a central hub for intercontinental transport, and the island has one of the world's busiest hyperloop station in terms of daily passenger traffic. Eastonia City is also connected to the nether network through the Terra Gurrana International Netherport. Westonia has multiple connections to Eastonia, by hyperloop from Västerköping and the Westerland Monorail from Zeresterport. Westonian Railways, a company owned jointly by the state governments of Westonia and South Westonia, also operates a local rail network connecting the various cities and towns in the region. A netherport was opened in Zeresterport in 220 CE, connecting Westonia to the international nether network aswell. Oceania is connected to the hyperloop system with stations under Hope Island and the Arion Plateau. The advent of elytra technology in the 230s has made far corners of the federation more connected than ever with launching platforms in Eastonia and Zeresterport allowing for long-distance gliding and landing strips in New North Eastonia and President Kola Land. A light rail network known as Easttram (stylized Eᴀꜱᴛᴛʀᴀᴍ) services the Eastonia Capital Region, with 10 stations on two lines. It's the only system of its kind in New Iotania, and also one of the oldest rail networks still in operation. In addition to Easttram, the commuter rail system East Coast Express traffics the line Eastonia City-Blåkulla C-Blåkulla Harbor on a former Catvian freight line. Flags National flags State flags Municipal flags Other flags Anthem Long Live Eastonia is Eastonia's national anthem and was officially adopted as such in the 90s. It is based on an Eastonian folk song called Three Neighborhoods and was originally an instrumental anthem before lyrics were written for it a few centuries later. Lyrics Blessed be our motherland, our island in the sun Blessed be its people, free and standing side by side Born from the ancient sea Your wings spread far and wide Long live Eastonia, the land of peace and love East to west, your banners fly For justice and for peace North to south, with heads held high We march on for thee (Eastonia, Eastonia) Brothers and sisters in a union of the free Blue, black and white we bear, for everyone to see Proud we sing our praise to thee Land of peace and love Oh Eastonia glorious Land of peace and love (/:Peace, love:/ x3) Blessed be our motherland, our island in the sun Blessed be its people, free and standing side by side Born from the ancient sea Your wings spread far and wide Long live Eastonia, the land of peace and love (Long live Eastonia, the land of peace and love)